Transcript Presentation

Hinduism
Hinduism
• Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in
the world, and today it is the third largest.
• It began with the religion of the Aryans,
who believed that many gods and
goddesses controlled the forces of nature.
• We know about Aryan religion from their
ancient hymns and poetry.
Origins of Hinduism
• For centuries, the priests, or Brahmans,
recited these works, and much later they
were written down in Sanskrit.
• Over the centuries, the Aryan religion
changed.
• It borrowed some religious ideas from the
people the Aryans conquered in India.
• This mix of beliefs eventually became
Hinduism.
Brahman
• Hinduism grew out of the religious
customs of many people over thousands
of years.
• Hinduism has thousands of gods and
goddesses that Hindus tend to think of as
different parts of one universal spirit.
• This universal spirit is called Brahman
Upanishads
• The search for a universal spirit is
described in the ancient religious writings
known as the Upanishads.
• These writings say that every living being
has a soul that wants to be reunited with
Brahman and that this happens when a
person dies.
Dharma
• The Upanishads teach that Dharma stands for
the ultimate moral balance of all things.
• Dharma belongs to the universe and to the
individual.
• A Hindu’s dharma is played out in all areas of
life: religious, social, and familial.
• If a person makes a promise, the promise must
be kept at all costs.
• The faithful must maintain their religious rituals
while attending to their family’s needs.
Karma
• Karma stands for the belief that a person
experiences the affects of his or her actions—
that every act or thought has consequences.
• Living in a balanced universe, if the individual
disturbs this order, he or she will suffer.
• But an ethical and moral life, with undisturbed
dharma, will lead to happiness.
• If the person does not lead a pure and
stainless life the only hope for happiness lies
in Samsara.
Samsara
• Samsara is commonly known as reincarnation.
• It represents the cycle of life, death, and rebirth
in which a person carries his or her own
karma.
• Each life cycle presents an opportunity for
balance.
• An individual may experience effects from past
lives, although the circumstances may be
totally different.
Reincarnation
• Many Hindus believe that a person’s worldly
status depends upon actions in a past life.
• Likewise, good thoughts and actions can
liberate a person.
• Some Hindus believe that certain people meet
in more than one life in order to achieve
karmic balance.
• Thus, every relationship and situation
becomes meaningful.
Moksha
• Like heaven for the Christians, Hindus strive to
reach moksha, or a state of changeless bliss.
• Moksha is achieved by living a life of religious
devotion and moral integrity without any
interest in worldly things.
• It may take many lifetimes within the wheel of
life before moksha is achieved.
• The ultimate reward is release from samsara,
or the chain of reincarnations, and union with
God.
Hinduism Develops
• Hinduism has gone through many
changes over the last 2,500 years.
• The world soul, Brahman, was sometimes
seen as having the personalities of three
gods: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the
protector; and Shiva the destroyer.
• Over the centuries, Brahma gradually
faded into the background, while the many
forms of Devi, a great Mother Goddess,
grew in importance.
Brahma
The Creator of the
World
Vishnu
Preserver of the World
Shiva
Destroyer of the World
Ganesha
Lord of Existing Beings
and Remover of
Obstacles
Krishna
Teacher of the
World
Lakshmi
Goddess of Light,
Beauty, Good Fortune,
and Wealth
Surya
God of the Sun
Indra
King of the Gods and
Ruler of the Heavens
and Sky
Saraswati
Goddess of Knowledge,
Music, and Creative Arts
Parvati
Universal Mother
Spiritual Pathways
• Hindus today are free to choose the deity
they worship or to choose none at all.
• Most, however, follow their family
traditions that go back for centuries.
• They are also free to choose among three
different paths for achieving moksha.
• These are the path of right thinking, the
path of right action, and the path of
religious devotion.
Hinduism Today
• How did the belief in Hinduism and
reincarnation affect Indians?
• It made them more accepting of the caste
system. People believed they had to be
happy with their role in life and do the work of
their caste.
• These beliefs determine what one can eat,
personal cleanliness, the people one can
associate with, and how one dresses. Even
in the most ordinary activities of daily life,
Hindus turn to their religion for spiritual
guidance.
Om or Aum
Om or Aum
• The symbol Om, or Aum, is the principle symbol
of Hinduism.
• It is a visual and oral representation of Brahmin,
or God.
• Hindus repeat the word Om in order to
transcend their individual thoughts and merge
with God.
• Om reflects the power responsible for the
creation, development, and destruction of the
universe.
Sri Yantra
Sri Yantra
• Sri Yantra is commonly used as a visual
focal point for meditation.
• The design itself represents the form of the
Mother Goddess.
• It consists of 9 triangles which intersect to
form 43 triangles in all. 3 concentric circles
surround the triangles and the shape is
framed by a square.
• The symbol represents spiritual evolution.
• The triangles stand for the many aspects
of God, which, when focused upon, merge
into one. When this occurs,
consciousness of unity appears in the
circles.
• The entire symbol is seen as a single unit
mirroring the Absolute, or God.
The Swastika
The Swastika
• The swastika is an ancient symbol of
auspiciousness, good fortune, and
protection.
• It is a symbol for Vishnu and it represents the
eternal wheel of life which rotates upon an
unchanging center, God.
• It is not uncommon to find swastikas marked
on buildings and animals.
• Hindus believe it protects them from evil
spirits and natural disasters.
The Lotus
The Lotus
• The lotus bud, which is born in water and
unfolds itself into a beautiful flower,
symbolizes the birth of the universe,
manifesting itself in all its glory.
• It is also a symbol of the sun, which rises in
the navel of Vishnu.
• The lotus is also the seat of Brahma. In fact,
many deities are depicted sitting atop the
sacred lotus flower.
Holy Cow
The Cow
• Hindus believe the cow is the offspring of the
celestial cow, which was created by Lord
Krishna from his own body.
• Another Hindu myth says the cow was born
of the churning of the ocean.
• Hindus also believe that the Earth often
approaches God in the form of a cow.
• Many Hindus use the sacred milk and butter
provided by the cow in rituals of atonement.